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Update from Matty on everything that has happened

From Facebook 2-20-2010

Hey Mattycollector fans,

Matty here, I know there has been a lot going on this week in terms of sales, log in ability and feedback from our NYTF show. I want to take a moment to address both the current issues as well as try and put some older issues to bed that are still popping up on the forums.

First off, Tuesday’s sale. Yes, 100% Digital River did not come through with the bandwidth Mattel was promised. I assure all of our fans this is not the experience we want to give you and this is not what we want to offer. All of our efforts are going into correcting this and I assure you we have kicked this one up to the highest possible office. I know you have heard this before, but in my effort to be as open as I possibly can in communication, we are 100% committed to correcting this. At the end of the day Digital River messed up BIG TIME for us and our customers.

Logging onto MattyCollector.com and ordering should NEVER be a difficult issue and our team is working around the clock to investigate and resolve why these issues continue to pop up. It is unacceptable to me and I will not allow this to continue. Actions are being taken.

As far as the sell out, that is another matter. We are increasing production and both Trap Jaw and Battle Cat will go back up for a new sale in the fall. One of our biggest issues with MOTUC is that we never want to “over produce” a figure or it could end the line (much as what happened with the JLU 4 packs. We produced more units then there were fans so the line had to go away. This is why we are being very careful going forward to understand demand).

For Adora and Trap Jaw the first two 2010 figures, we did not really have a baseline of what the demand would be above and beyond the 2010 subscription. We sold way more subscriptions in 2010 vs. 2009, so we had to be very careful not to over produce beyond what the demand would be above the subscribers. This is why we produced only a small amount beyond the subscription to start off (especially knowing if we sold out we would and will go back into production for a second run of popular sold out figs!).

With Adora’s sell out it became clear that indeed there still is a high demand beyond the subscribers and we have therefore increased production. But because of how logistics work, the first figure we could change production quantity on was the June figure She-Ra. That is why Trap Jaw and Battle Cat also sold out fast. Their production was based on the same range as Adora before she sold out fast.

We will continue to adjust production as the year goes on, but we do urge fans that the best way to guarantee you get every figure will be to buy a subscription for the year. The 2011 subs will go on sale this July. Get them while you can!

OLDER ISSUES:

Okay, so I’ve gone through the fan forums and I want to address and ideally put a pin in some older issues that still pop up.

Changing sculpts:

To put this one to bed, most figure sculpts are done almost 1 year prior to the figure going on sale. Asking for things like a new head on She-Ra means she would be delayed over a year. By the time fans are seeing a figure it is usually already in production or close to going into production. Yes we were able to make a running change to Moss Man, but that was not a change to the sculpt or deco, that was de-flocking the ears. Something “relatively” easier to do. Changing deco or sculpts is just not possible by the time a figure is ready to reveal. As to why we don’t show a figure earlier, well, that is simply because Mattel does not show prototypes to the public for a variety of legal and logistical reasons, most of which I can not go into.

Just because we are doing a figure now also does not mean we can’t go back and re-do that character again with a new sculpt down the road. So rest assured, we have heard all your comments. But taking a petition to change a sculpt once it has been shown really won’t be able to change that figure. That is just how it works.
The fan vote on flocking Panthor:

Every year at SDCC we like to give the fans who make the special effort to come out to our fan panel a chance to vote on a detail in the line. At SDCC 2009 we asked fans if they wanted Panthor flocked or not flocked. By a vote of 60/40 (it was close!) fans did vote for unflocked.

We know there is a video of this panel out there (granted it does not show the whole room!) and a lot of fans insist the vote went the other way. But at the end of the day, it did not. It really did not matter to Mattel which way this vote went. It was all about rewarding the fans who came out to the panel with a way to affect the line. I still see a lot of fans spreading false information and insisting the vote went the other way. So lets end this one right now. The vote was for unflocked. It does not mean we won’t do a flocked version as well, but whether you agree with it or not, this is just how the vote went, period.

The art book sale:

Still seeing a lot of fans posting about last summer’s MOTU art book. Yes we are well aware there is an image out there of a customer with a stack of books. Well you know what, he was in line with a group of people. Each individual was limited to 2 books. If someone waited in line with 10 friends and they each bought 2 books, it is completely fair for them to put their books in one stack together on a table after each buying them individually 2 at a time. Each customer still waited in line and was still limited to 2 at a time. Just because a group of people stacked their books together in a pile post sale does not mean we sold a large lot of books to one customer. The ONLY time we broke the 2 per person rule was to sell 10 books each to two members of He-Man.org. That was it.

Future sales:

We really are trying to make both SDCC and sales on MattyCollector.com as easy as possible. We’re exploring some possible pre order options this year for SDCC attendees as well as some new ways to manage the line. And as for online sales, as I mentioned above Digital River did not perform as they were required to do. We’re working with them on this and it was completely unacceptable to not be prepared for Tuesday’s sale.

More product is coming and we do appreciate all of our fans and want to do everything possible to deliver amazing product at fair prices. We’re not trying to fund second market sellers and we are committed to continuing to improve all of our processes each and every day.

Thanks for all your loyal support and please do continue to let us know how we can keep making things better. That is my highest priority.

Matty

Owner Fantastic Plastic Toys. Authorized Integrity Toys Dealer. We ship international. We carry Monster High, Realm of the Underworld, Funko, NECA, Japanese Imports & much more! Creator of Mystical Warriors of the Ring, a 2" Animal Wrestling Minifigure line, with toys now made in China! Check us out!

Thanks for posting this. I just hope everyone reads it! I'm willing to concede that my perception of the vote at SDCC may be a bit skewed. I know I screamed pretty loud for flocking, but honestly, I am pretty cool with unflocked, as I think the flocking might not look as good.

I am just hoping that the All-In Sub is Go for 2011. I desperately want to give Mattel large portions of my meager, hard-earned wages! Let me do so!

I do want to take another chance here to reiterate my thanks and undying love for Mattel, Scott/TG, and the .Org for making this hobby a constant blast. Call me a kissass or a Mattel-Apologist. That's fine. I regret that many have had problems and I do not doubt the veracity of any such claims. Everyone is welcome to express his/her feelings and thoughts (with respect) here. I just know that any problems I have encountered while collecting MOTUC have actually been through my own fault.

Not to sound like a creepy cheerleader for Uki, but it's nice to know there is at least one person on this forum who is extremely positive & friendly all the time. I don't think I could be that nice even if you paid me. If we ever give out awards for "forum member of the month", Uki gets my vote. -Mr. Shokoti

I'm surprised he is so adamant about the vote for unflocked panthor. I was there and it was clearly the other way around. I totally understand that he doesn't want to flock panthor after the whole moss man debacle, but I don't understand why he doesn't just say it. Must be some part of this 'blame the customer' marketing policy mattel has been using.

I'm very happy about this. I know that what TG is saying may not please some folk, but to be honet i would prefer by a LONG WAY that we get the lowdown, straight and to the point without any corporate speak or fluffy language. Honesty. And i cannot say that what we got there was anything other than honest. So i couldn't be happier..well..i could..but time travel would be involved.

Sounds great but it could be a LoNg year if DR keeps up its shenanigans.
This is definitely the communication we need though. Hopefully they'll keep that sort of dialogue open.
Panthor.... well that's all I'll say about that.

I really appreciate this straight forward response to all of the issues we have been having! I'm hoping that based on this information, the later part of 2010 and 2011 will be much easier on MOTUC's collectors. If they move forward with the "all in" sub, I will be happy as a clam. No more stressing over the noon eastern 15th, no more RSOD/WSOD, no more website glitches I will be able to just sit back and wait for all my MOTUC's goodies to come in the mail!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I Cannot Wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just because we are doing a figure now also does not mean we can’t go back and re-do that character again with a new sculpt down the road. So rest assured, we have heard all your comments. But taking a petition to change a sculpt once it has been shown really won’t be able to change that figure. That is just how it works.

You hear that, She-Ra fans? Time for you guys to change tactics. Maybe you can get your She-Ra fixes another way, but changing the existing figure isn't happening.

Time to start brainstorming on ways to get the She-Ra that you want down the road. Maybe Toyguru can pop in and go over what works and what doesn't.

The best straight forward and most open communication yet!
Thanks Matty!

The best thing we could hope for is Mattel ending their relationship with Digital River asap and to find a competent e-commerce business which DR is clearly not.
DR has been performing poorly from the start!
Let's hope Mattel can prove they lose customers because of DR's incompetence, so they can end the contract with DR early on.

I'm surprised he is so adamant about the vote for unflocked panthor. I was there and it was clearly the other way around.

Yep, I was there too, but I can't tell you from my vantage point which way the vote went. It could've been 60-40 in favor of unflocked. It looked close to half and half to me.
I can say that the fans that wanted him flocked were louder... But louder doesn't equal more hands. They cheered for flocking, and booed at the rest of us that didn't want flocking.

Point is, bringing it up again over and over isn't going to change the fact that Panthor's first re-lease will be unflocked. I agree with Matty "Toyguru" here that the issue should just be put to rest. It's a done deal. Stop kicking the dead Panthor.

I really don't believe it's some weird conspiracy against the consumer that people want to stick to. That's just plain silly to think. They've always been about making money. That's no secret, why would there be some conspiracy to keep them from making more money? Makes no sense at all.

You hear that, She-Ra fans? Time for you guys to change tactics. Maybe you can get your She-Ra fixes another way, but changing the existing figure isn't happening.

Time to start brainstorming on ways to get the She-Ra that you want down the road. Maybe Toyguru can pop in and go over what works and what doesn't.

Great point, MGM (as usual!). I personally would like to see a vintage toy She-Ra as well. Also, Mattel could crank out a few various She-ras based on her vintage variations and even the Fashion Sets (Fantastic Fashions?). Done over time as He-Man, Skeletor, and whoever else variations, we can get some nifty Bonus Figures out of it.

Not to sound like a creepy cheerleader for Uki, but it's nice to know there is at least one person on this forum who is extremely positive & friendly all the time. I don't think I could be that nice even if you paid me. If we ever give out awards for "forum member of the month", Uki gets my vote. -Mr. Shokoti

Good stuff all around... it's nice to see him address concerns but it WILL be even nicer to see changes implemented so our problems don't go on and on while trying to collect this line.
I guess some stuff like She-Ra is just going to have to be swallowed. My only complaint personally was that I found it a poor choice to have the classic toy tiara head use a hole-in-the-head trick to get the thing to stay on, when some other method that would have resulted in her having a tiara-less look could have been conjured up.

"To put this one to bed, most figure sculpts are done almost 1 year prior to the figure going on sale. Asking for things like a new head on She-Ra means she would be delayed over a year. By the time fans are seeing a figure it is usually already in production or close to going into production. Yes we were able to make a running change to Moss Man, but that was not a change to the sculpt or deco, that was de-flocking the ears. Something “relatively” easier to do. Changing deco or sculpts is just not possible by the time a figure is ready to reveal. As to why we don’t show a figure earlier, well, that is simply because Mattel does not show prototypes to the public for a variety of legal and logistical reasons, most of which I can not go into.

Just because we are doing a figure now also does not mean we can’t go back and re-do that character again with a new sculpt down the road. So rest assured, we have heard all your comments. But taking a petition to change a sculpt once it has been shown really won’t be able to change that figure. That is just how it works".

All good to read and I am glad Matty / TG took the time to post this for fans, but I do have one bone to pick. You say it takes a year to implement a sculpt change when discussing She-Ra's head / tiara issue. Well then could you please tell me why when Teela's prototype was revealed at last years NYCC and fans complained about her butt being MIA, at SDCC (no less than 5 months later) that part of her sculpt had been some what resculpted and had been implemented as the final sculpt? When interviewed about this the 4H said they resculpted it due to fan reaction.

This change was implemented into MOTUC Teela's final sculpt without effecting her October 2009 release date, exactly 8 months after you revealed her prototype at NYCC in Feburary 2009! Considering your comments about changes delaying a figure by up to a year, surely Teela's release date should have been after christmas 2009 due to her rescupted butt. How was it possible to make a change this quick on a figure like Teela (without affecting her release date) but not be able to do this on another figure like She-Ra?

I am not trying to start trouble but this is just another inconsistancy between what is said and what is done! You must understand that it's hard for fans to swallow these kinds of excuses when we have personaly seen you address sculpt issues much quicker than a year when you want to. It is good to hear that you might go back and give characters like She-Ra a different head / tiara sculpt, even thought all we are asking you to do is cut away a bit of the tiara that is already there! But thank-you for taking the time to let fans know you have heard their concerns.

Last edited by Angel-T; February 20, 2010 at 12:57pm.

PRO CLASSIC POP TOY DESIGN ELEMENTS BEING USED IN MOTUC TO COMPLEMENT THE FILMATION DESIGNS!!!!

I FULLY SUPPORT THE INCLUSION OF ILLUMINA IN MOTUC!!!!!

IF YOUR SICK OF WAITING FOR A LIGHT TO APPEAR AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL, STRIDE DOWN THERE AND LIGHT THE BLOODY THING YOURSELF!!!!!!!

You hear that, She-Ra fans? Time for you guys to change tactics. Maybe you can get your She-Ra fixes another way, but changing the existing figure isn't happening.

Time to start brainstorming on ways to get the She-Ra that you want down the road. Maybe Toyguru can pop in and go over what works and what doesn't.

That's exactly what I was thinking!

I'm happy Mattel released this very comprehensive message addressing almost all the issues that are happening right now and some people are still talking about. Good move. I understand and agree with everything except for one part:

As to why we don’t show a figure earlier, well, that is simply because Mattel does not show prototypes to the public for a variety of legal and logistical reasons, most of which I can not go into.

Umm...they DO show us prototypes! Just to name a few, we saw King Grayskull, Teela, Stratos, Adora, Goddess, MossMan, Count Marzo and more.

This is exactly the same as the answer given about them not being able to tell use the time-frame they want figures to be available on MattyCollector.com. I think they have decided they no longer want to share this information for various reasons, but it would be nice for them just to say it.

Take part in Illumina Day! Let people know who she is and help get her in MOTUC.

I loved most of the response!
However, It wasn't just bandwith issues on matty though. The Man-at-Arms sell-out glitch, and the fact we have to take items out of our cart once we already have them in there, thereby making us lose out on other items in the time it takes us to do this, should be addressed.